Closet and wall construction



N v- 4. 1953 l. P. WHITEHOIUSE ET AL 6 CLOSET AND WALL CONSTRUCTION Filed June 24, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR vme P. WHITEHOUS AND WBOYLFGANG W KRAUSS.

ATTORNEYS.

Nov. 24, 1953 I. P. WHITEHOUSE ETAL ,660, 6

CLOSET AND WALL CONSTRUCTION Filed June 24, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 \W,2211:5551}: finq fl M'ZZH/H 1 E cw Mm. M w 2 0 U d 6 TQA m m n W? o w 1 I m PA 5 4 IL 4 1. Wm w 1 A JTTORZVEYS.

Nov. 24, 1953 l. P. WHI TEHOUSE ETAL CLOSET AND WALL CONSTRUCTION 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Eiled June 24, 1948 INV IRVING F? WHITEHOUSE AND MEQLFGANG W. KRAUSS.

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Nov. 24, 1953 I. P. WHITEHOUSE ETAL CLOSET AND WALL CONSTRUCTION 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed June 24, 1948 mvme a WHITEHOUSE m vxguema w. KR uss.

Patented Nov. 24, 1953 UNITED STATES ATENT QFFICE 2,660,269 CLOSET AND WALL CONSTRUCTION Application June 24, 1948, Serial No. 34,964

1 Claim.

The present invention relates generally to the building construction art and is particularly concerned with novel wall or partition structures consisting of one or more fabricated sheet metal closets secured together.

The novel walls or partitions of this invention, instead of serving merely as partitions, may be used as storage places accessible from rooms or spaces on either one or both sides of the walls and yet may be of at least the strength and insulating and soundproof effectiveness of conventional walls. In addition, the walls of our invention may be made of a few simple parts, which may be mass produced and readily assembled at the site of their installation. Alternatively, they may be prefabricated to any desired extent for shipment to, and quick assembly at, a building site. Moreover, the component parts of the walls are easily replaced without substantial expense when necessary due to the simplicity of their design and the manner in which they are fitted and secured together.

Briefly, a wall structure of this invention comprises one or more compartment elements or closets arranged in a row and secured together, preferably with adjacent closets facing in opposite directions in order that access may be had to the closets from rooms on each side of the wall. Each of these closets generally comprises top, bottom and back walls and a front wall which includes a door frame having a transom provided with a channeled hanger extending longitudinally of the transom, and a door movable horizontally in the frame and having attached to its upper portion a hanger carrying a wheel or roller to engage said hanger and support the door.

Those skilled in the art will gain a further understanding of the construction of the present invention and the manner in which it may be applied to obtain the foregoing results by referring to the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective View of a closet and wall construction embodying one form of this invention;

Figure 2 is a similar view of another form of closet and wall construction of this invention;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. 1 of one of the closets;

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 5--5 of Fig. 2, and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional 2 view of the adjustable shelf and hanger rod assembly of this invention.

The construction illustrated in Figs. 1, 3 and 4 comprises a plurality of generally rectangular box-like closets or compartments in which one wall of each box is provided with a pair of doors slidably carried in a frame for movement to open or close the closet. Adjacent closets are secured together in any suitable manner, as by means of nuts and bolts, and may be faced in opposite directions so that access may be had to the closets from either side of the wall defined by the assembly. Each of these'closets comprises top and. bottom walls It! and II, side walls 12 and I3, a back wall l4, and a front wall 15 which is made up of a door frame 16 and doors I1 and I8 slidable in frame It. All these parts are of sheet metal and bolted or otherwise secured together so that the assembly has strength and stability. Doors I7 and I8 are elongated, hollow box-like sheet metal sections fabricated from light sheets and strips, and are provided in each case with two wheels I9 carried rotatably by brackets 20 secured to the top of the door. Each of the doors has a lower channeled edge to receive guiding means to be described. Frame l6 likewise comprises a plurality of light metal sheets and strips defining three principal parts, viz., a head frame or transom 2|, a sill 22 and a pair of columns 23 joining the ends of the sill and transom. Transom 2| is shaped to define two parallel channeled hanger brackets 24 in which wheels l9 may run, while sill 22 is provided with two spaced apart and vertically extending posts or roller guides 25 to be received in the lower channels of doors I1 and I8.

Within the closet a sheet metal shelf 28 divides the closet into an upper and a lower compartment and is supported on channel members 29 secured to walls l2, l3 and I Q in any suitable manner, as by screws. A rod 30 upon which hangers may be carried is situated below the shelf and supported by two brackets 3| secured at corresponding places to channel members 29 secured to side walls l2 and I3.

With reference to the embodiment of this invention illustrated in Figs. 2 and 5, the partition shown is made up of a plurality of elements of box-like construction in which adjacent elements are faced in opposite directions to provide access from opposite sides of the partition to the spaces or compartments therein. An individual unit of this construction comprises top and bottom walls and 4|, side walls 42, end walls 43 and an inside wall 44 dividing the unit vertically into two oppositely facing compartments of approximately the same dimensions. Top and bottom walls and 4| and side walls 42 are sheet metal elements secured together by means of nut and bolts or other securing means at numerous points for strength and stability. The end walls are made up of doors 45, door frames 46 and panels 4'! behind which doors may slide out of sight when the doors are opened. Frames 46, like those of Fig. 1, each include a sill 48, a transom 49 and two vertical columns 50 connecting the ends of the sill and transom and defining recesses in which a door 45 may be received when the door is fully open. Each transom 49 is provided with a channeled hanger bracket 5% like brackets 24, and each sill 48 has guide or roller posts (not shown) similar to guides 26. ,Panels 41, much like doors 45 in dimensions and construction, .are fitted to the frame flush with the outside surface of the sill and head, and against one of columns 49" so that when the closet is fully opened, its doors are completely obscured from view outside the closet. The doors are similar to doors I? and 18, having in each case two wheels 52 carried rotatably by brackets 53 secured to the tops of the doors, and having lower channeled edges to receive the roller guides of sills 48. Wheels 52 carry the doors and run in brackets 5! when the doors are moved in frames 46 to open or close the closets.

Within each closet a sheet metal shelf 55 is disposed in the upper portion of the closet and rests on a channel rail 56 secured to the side wall and back and side sections of wall 44, dividing the closet compartment horizontally into upper and lower chambers. A hanger rod 51 is also provided, extending between and being supported by two brackets 59 fastened to opposing rails on walls 42 and 44'.

Both the illustrated compartmented partitions may be of any suitable height and are provided with means extending between the partitions and ceilings 6| above them, thus making the assem blys walls dividing a room vertically from floor to ceiling. In the assembly of Fig. 2, the top means consists of a pair of opposed sheets 60 of wall board or the like, which are preferably fitted flush with the front and rear walls of the partition and secured to the ceiling and partition in any suitable manner. In Fig. 1 the top means consists of a storage cabinet 65, which is also secured to the partition in such a manner that its front and back walls 66 and 61 are flush with the corresponding walls of the partition. As shown, cabinet 65 is box-like and of sheet metal construction with one end being open and provided with a pair of doors 68 carried by hinges for movement outwardly to open the cabinet.

Having thus described our invention so that others skilled in the art may be able to understand and practice the same, we state that what we desire to secure by Letters Patent is defined in what is claimed.

What is claimed is:

A building partition comprising a plurality of fabricated sheet metal closets extending substantially from floor to ceiling arranged in a row and secured together, said closets each having top, bottom and side walls, a back wall and a front wall, said front Wall comprising a transom, a sill and a pair of columns joining the ends of said transom and sill at the front corners of the closet, saidtransom, sill and columns together defining a generally rectangular opening, said transom being of hollow rectangular sections, door supporting means including channels secured and housed within said transom, a pair of fabricated sheet metal doors movable horizontally past each other in said 'openingand having longitudinally extending recesses in their lower edge portions and door hanger means secured to the upper ends of thedoors and carried by said channels and two spaced apart roller guides extending upwardly from the sill and received in said recesses in the lower edge portions of the doors.

IRVING P. WHITEHOUSE. WOLFGANG W. KRAUSS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 930,348 Bundy Aug. 10, 1909 1,426,170 Frantz Aug. 15, 1922 1,560,255 Janes Nov. 3, 1925 1,578,276 Foose Mar. 30, 1926 1,692,271 Judelson Nov. 20, 1928 2,021,290 Chambers Nov. 9, 1935 2,027,920 Lindquist Jan. 14, 1936 2,101,465 Beers Dec. 7, 1937 2,120,783 Hoffman June 14, 1938 2,126,111 Holderle Aug. 9, 1938 2,233,711 Pasquier Mar. 4, 1941 2,293,267 OBrien Aug. 18, 1942 2,404,182 Kump July 16, 1946 2,405,416 Foulkes Aug. 6, 1946 2,419,319 Lankton Apr. 22, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 330,551 France A. D. 1903 673,591 Germany Mar. 9, 1939 OTHER REFERENCES Architectural Forum-November 1944, page 90. 

